Dumping mechanism for metallic cars.



PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

A. BECKER. DUMPING MECHANISM FOR METALLIC CARS.

APPLIGATION FILED APR- 21. 1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

A. BECKER. DUMPING MECHANISM FOR METALLIO CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented August 30, 1904;

PATENT OEEICE.

ANTON BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH S. RALSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DUMPl-NG MECHANISM FOR METALLIC CARS- SPEGIFIGA TION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,722, dated August 30, 1904. Application filed April 21, 1904. Serial No. 204,267. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTON BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improved Dumping Mechanism for Metallic Cars, of which the following is a specification in its best form now known to me, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals indicate the same parts throughout the several vlews. 7

My invention relates to dumping mechanism for cars, and while it is particularly applicable for use in metallic cars and is so described it should be understood that it may also be used on cars made from other matcrials.

More specifically, the invention is an improvement upon one for the same purpose shown and described in my prior application, Serial No. 194,407, filed February 19, 1904, which application is an improvement upon another prior application for a metallic flushfloor dump-car, Serial No. 190,415, filed by me January 23, 1904, and for convenience one or both of said applications and the drawings therein will be referred to at different points in the specification of this case.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism for operating the dumping-doors of the car which can be easily and cheaply constructed, which will operate very positively and with slight friction, and which will not be liable to easily get out of order.

My invention broadly consists in a crankshaft having a crank-arm adapted to engage the floor-doors of the car, so that by merely revolving the shaft upon its axis in opposite directions the doors will be opened and closed, as more fully appears in my prior application referred to, Serial No. 194,407.

The invention of this application more specifically consists in the use of a pinion on the crank-arm operating the door meshing in a toothed rack on the under side of the door, so that as the crank-arm revolves it will positively operate the door without any danger of slipping.

being also shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the pinion mounted upon the crank-arm Fig. 4 is adetail view of the split collar on which the pinion rotates. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the finger connecting the op erating crank-arm with the door. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the rack upon the under side of the door.

As described in my prior application, the car to which this invention is intended primarily to apply and as shown partially in the drawings consists of a central plate-girder 10, extending the length of the car, having intersecting it at right angles a series of crossbearers and bolsters 11. Pivoted at 12 between each pair of cross-bearers and bolsters or between a bolster and cross-bearer or bolster and end sill are doors 13, adapted to swing up and form a part of the floor of the car, as shown at the left of Fig. 1, and adapted to swing down, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, to allow the portion of the load upon the door to slide off at the side of the car. Also, as described in my other application, there are wings 14, pivoted at 15 at the top of the crossbearers or bolsters 11, adapted when the doors are elevated to fit in the notches 16 at the edges of the doors and make a continuous floor and adapted when the doors are lowered to the position shown at the right of Fig. l to incline sufificiently to allow the portion of the load which is upon said wings 14 to slideoif onto the door and thence off at the side of the car.

In order to provide means for operating the door from the position shown at the right of Fig. 1 to the position shown. at the left of Fig. 1, I provide a crank-shaft 18, extending either in one piece or by splices from the middle to each end of the car or the entire length of the car, as desired, there being on the end of shaft 18 means for operating it, as more fully appears in my two prior applications referred to. This shaft is, as shown, journaled on successive cross-bearers and bolsters. On this shaft are crank arms 19, each pair of crank-arms having a common pin 20 connecting them. On each of these crank-pins 20 are always one and preferably two pinions 21, journaled upon the split sleeves 22, fastened to the crank-pin 20 by a pin or cotter or other suitable means 2 1. As the crank-arms and the shaft are continuous when of considerable length, as just described, these split sleeves 22 are necessary in order that the pinions 21 may be moved to their proper position on the shaft, it being necessary to slip them over the turns 26 and 27 of this multicranked shaft. Also journaled upon these split sleeves 22 are lingers 30, entering a slot 31 on or in the under side of the door, the slot in this particular case being formed by securing to the under side of the doors a plate or angle 32, forming the flange on which the wings let rest, as

' heretofore described, and securing to the lower side of said angle or plate 32 the rack 34, the edge of the rack being preferably cut away in the notch 35 and the body of the rack extending beyond the edge of the angle 32, as shown, so as to form the slot or notch 31. On the side of this rack 34: are teeth 36, adapted to mesh with the teeth 37 of the pinion 21, heretofore described. This pinion 21 may be made with or without a flange 39 on one or both of its ends.

If the mechanism could always be kept as clean as that shown in the drawings and there was no such thing as ice, the doors could be operated by simply allowing the crank-pins 20 to bear against the under side of'the door, the doors being depressed by gravityand raised by the rotation of the crank-pins 20 of the shaft 18; but these conditions are not possible in practice, and it is therefore highly desirable to have means by which the mechanical rotation of the shaft 18 will positively move the door up and down as the shaft rotates, and it is always desirable to have such connection between the crank-pins and the door that this motion will be positive in all positions of the crank-pin, and this is accomplished by combining both the use of the rack upon the under side of the door and the pinion on the shaft together with means, such as the finger 30, for always holding the two in contact with each other.

In the operation of the invention, assuming that the parts are in the position shown at the left of Fig. 1 with the doors closed, the operator takes hold of the operating mechanism at the end of the car (not shown in this application, but shown fully in my prior applications referred to) and rotates the shaft 18 in the direction indicated by the arrow-head at the left of Fig. 1. This operation causes the linger 30 to travel along the slot 31 toward the outer end of the door and causes the pinion 21 to travel along the rack-teeth 36 on the rack 34: toward the end of the door. This motion tends to move the door positively downward, and this direction of motion of the pinion with reference to the rack continues until the dottedline position 40 .is reached when the direction of the pinion with reference to the rack reverses and the pinion moves inward along the rack toward the center of the car until the position shown at the right of Fig. 1 is assumed by the pinion, rack, and door. The door being at its lowest position, the load can slide off from it at the center of the ear. WVhen the operator desires to close the door, he reverses the operating mechanism and reverses the order of operations just described, thereby moving the door from the position shown at the right of Fig. 1 to the full-line position of Fig. 1.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact details of construction, which may be varied within reasonable limits without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car in combination with the frame of the car a pivoted door adapted to retain a part of the load, a shaft adjacent to the door, a crank-arm on said. shaft, a pinion on said crank-arm in engagement with a rack on the under side of said door and means for turning said shaft, whereby as said shaft is moved, said pinion moves backward and forward on said rack and said door is opened or closed.

2. In a car in combination with the frame of the car a pivoted door adapted to retain a part of the load, a shaft adjacent to the door, a crank-arm on said shaft, a pinion on said crank-arm in engagement with a rack on the under side of said door, mechanism for positively holding said pinion in working contact with said rack in all positions of operation and means for turning said shaft, whereby as said shaft is moved, said pinion moves backward and forward on said rack and said door is opened or closed.

3. In a car in combination with the frame of the car, a pivoted door adapted to retain a portion of the load and adapted to be moved backward and forward between two different positions, a shaft journaled adjacent to said door, a crank-arm on said shaft, a journaled pinion on said crank-arm adapted to bear in a rack on the under side of the door and mechanism on the crank-arm sliding in a slot in the door adapted to hold said pinion and rack crank-pin and a split sleeve adapted to fit over said crank-pin and form a journal-hear- IO ing for said toothed pinion.

ANTON BECKER.

WVitnesses:

BLANOHE L. WEST, DWIGHT B. GHEEVER. 

